ExtraMSG

You gotta click on the links, FG. The number is 49%. Also, just because the other offenders weren't convicted of a violent crime (or, more accurately, a violent crime wasn't their highest offense), doesn't mean that they aren't violent criminals. They may have never been caught for their violent crime. They may have had a gun or knife on them when they broke into someone's house and burgled it or they may have had a gun on them when they stole a car, but they never used it. A drug dealer may be a murderer who's killed several competing drug dealers, but only got caught for possesion. I don't know that it matters that much though. The most significant percentage of offenders are convicted violent criminals. As I said, that's a possibility, but the terms aren't defined as far as I could tell in the report. I still doubt that most people who are incarcerated are unconvicted, but Pan was right in one context and deserved my apology.

While it's a nice thought, I don't think it's feasible in most cases. Wyoming prisoners would be on a forced Atkin's diet year round. A good goal, though. A good point. I think prison labor is fine, but it shouldn't really be part of the market. It should be used for public works, self-sufficiency, retribution for victims, and charity. Prisoners should be making their own clothing and food, doing their own plumbing, cooking, and laundry, building houses for habitat for humanity, and making toys for the children of victims they've harmed They should be like slave elves of the Keebler and North Pole variety. FG, I actually had a post with a bunch of these statistics and accidentally lost it (damn back button didn't bring it up). But I've spent more minutes trying to assemble, so here goes again: Pan was right (my bad). Over half of jail inmates are unconvicted. Of course we don't know the context from these statistics. These are more likely to be previously convicted criminals and criminals accused of violent and serious crimes, I would think. Also this is jail inmates which may not be the same as prison inmates, the latter term usually being reserved, it seems, for those in state and federal prisons: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cpus98.pdf (table 2.6) Also, more than half of those accused are convicted: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cases.htm And, though my sympathies are with you and Seth on drug offenses (I'm a libertarian in favor of drug legalization, ultimately), the stats seem to show that a plurality of offenders in prison, nearly half, are violent criminals: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/prisons.htm Only a fifth have a drug offense has their most serious crime.

Sounds like one of those myths that just got debunked.

From Portland, Oaxaca is usually about $700, while Mexico City is $400 RT. To me, it's worth flying in to DF and then taking a bus to Oaxaca. I imagine it's a decently cool trip through the mountains. Coming up, though, would is the opportunity to go to Veracruz for Carnaval. Supposedly there and Mazatlan have the best Mardi Gras festivities. You could fly into Mexico City, drive to Puebla, and then to Veracruz. That'd be an awesome adventure.

All prison food should be fried to remind prisoners what might happen to them if they step over the line.... Really, I think prison food should first be cheap. People in prison are being punished. It should be of a certain level to keep them from rioting, but mainly it should be as little a burden on society as possible. If they grow it themselves, fine, who cares. I do think it would be an effective tool in managing prisoners. Give prisoners better food who act better. Maybe this would be a logistical problem, though, and the best you could do would be to give perks here and there. Otherwise I generally agree with Pan except the comment about who makes up the majority of prisoners. But that's off-topic.

I'm willing to take part in such experiments. I'd like to see picture proof, though.

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/...tabla=articulos Chiles en nogada is probably my favorite non-antojito. I had my first one at Hosteria de Santo Domingo in el centro historico. I need to try them sometime when Cafe Azul is making them here in Portland. (I should call them up; it should be seasonal now.) Generally I just make them for myself when pomegranates are in season. Problem is, it's hard to find good poblanos this time of year. And even good ones here aren't near as plump and large as what you find in Mexico. The best ones here are a mere shadow of what you find there. Last Thanksgiving I made them with smoked turkey in the picadillo. They were a big hit even with lots of conservative eaters.

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/...tabla=articulos Anyone else celebrate Day of the Dead this year? I was in Mazatlan, known for its Carnaval, but not Day of the Dead. However, it was very enjoyable nonetheless. I have lots of pictures and some time I'll post some links here along with a report on my trip. My wife and I were some of the few gringos who went to the old town and joined in the festivities following a band from Day of the Dead display after display, dancing through the streets. There wasn't much festival food to be had, though, unfortunately. Anyone ever celebrate it in Oaxaca? Understandably, I've heard the celebration is best there.

Yeah, online is probably your only source. Even tiendas and Mexgrocer won't be able to compete with what you find in Mexicos's mercados. If I was going to bring one thing back with me from a Mexican market it would probably be a good supply of large, wonderful, cheap corn husks. Second would be some fresh huitlacoche. I have no idea if I could get either in the country, though. I usually end up using multiple corn husks per tamal. I use the worst of the husks for strings to tie up the tamales, tearing down strips and tying two together to make them long enough. When using multiple husks for tamales, first use one and do the best you can, then add the second as a patch focusing on the area least covered, then finish the folding. I leave my corn husk tamales open on one end to allow for expansion. I also tie them twice per tamal. Eureka's not a big place, but maybe you'd have better luck finding banana leaves and doing southern Mexican style tamales, too. Nearly every Asian grocer has frozen banana leaves.

Me and the Mrs. went to Pho Oregon tonight for dinner. (I wanted to go to Pho Hung for lunch, too, but she vetoed Vietnamese twice in a day.) The place is a dive. That's fine with me, but be warned people who are wary of dives, because it is one. The walls have big tears in some areas. The floors, chairs, and tables look like they're from a 30 year old cheapo greasy spoon. All that's fine with me. The food prices are in line with the quality of the furnishings. I go to plenty of taquerias that are dives. I'm not sure I trust a taqueria that isn't to some degree. As I've said, pho is fine, but I have to be in the mood for it. My wife is the same. Instead we tried an order of salad rolls, she got the bun dau nu (#51), and I got the com tam bi cha thit nuong (#36). The salad rolls were decent. Honestly, it's rare that I've been impressed by salad rolls. They're either good or bad and much of that is in the quality of the ingredients. These were good. The sauce that came with them was slightly sweet, slightly spicy, a little salty, and a little peanutty. It looked like a mixture of plum sauce, garlic chili paste, and peanuts, but I don't know. I'm not experienced enough to say. $3.50 for two. The #51 was basiclly vermicelli rice noodles topped by typical raw Vietnamese vegetables, along with fried tofu julienned. It was served with a soy-based sauce. It was decent. I don't know that it was anything special, but it was fine. $6. My #36 was better, imo. It's the dish trillium describes above. It has a bed of broken rice, a couple big slices ot tomato and cucumber along with the three meats. According to the menu the meats are bbq pork, pork skin, and egg-pork patty. I liked all three. The egg-pork patty has vermicelli noodles and reminds of something somewhere between quiche and meatballs. It's rather peppery, but pretty good. The bbq pork was tasty. It's served on a skewer, cut into thin strips which have been roasted on the skewer, I think. They were tender and flavorful from the marinade. The "skin", if that's what it is, was a bit dry and comes crumbled with something salty. It's Asian food so it could be anything -- dried shrimp, nuts, fried pork skin, whatever. I don't know. But it had an okay flavor. The dish also comes with a side of the broth and a slightly spicy sweet and sour sauce. $6.50. The menu descriptions aren't very detailed and I'd be very interested to try some more of the non-pho dishes, things like the several kho dishes (beef stewed) served with essentially your choice of starch. I'd also like to try the spicy lemongrass chicken and the bbq beef spareribs. Although the dishes don't have the Western and haute appeal of those at, eg, Pho Van Pearl, they're cheap enough that I'm interested in exploring more. Hopefully I can get to Hung sometime soon and explore their non-pho menu a little, too. PS I should note that I went to the Sandy location and supposedly they have opened a second location on 82nd somewhere. The Sandy location is just east of 60th and Sandy.

I think CI/ATK even says not even to whisk vinaigrettes together -- that you can just drizzle the ingredients on the lettuce and toss. Although I just looked at their salad dressing 101 article online and there was nothing to that effect. But I seem to remember it. If they do say it, it's something I disagree with. Whisking together right before service makes a big difference in keeping the greens lightly coated without all the vinegar going to the bottom of the plate. Drizzling in oil for a vinaigrette is unnecessary, though, unless you're not using pre-defined ratios and just want to test along the way. However, for mayonnaise and such things, drizzling is very important.

I think I'll try to test the green vegetable boiling theories this weekend, if I can. I'll try three pots, one steamed, one boiled, and one boiled with heavily salted water. Maybe I'll even take pictures. I run the knife and the onion under cold water before chopping. It works for me I keep my onions in the refrigerator. I almost never have an issue with tearing. I forget that fact, too, when I cook at other people's houses that keep their onions in a pantry. I end up crying like a baby. That could just be that I'm very emotional about my knife skills, though. We could test this one on eGullet along with Olestra and see which is worse for the GI tract. A 1 is received if you had to say "the dog did it" more than once during prime time TV. A 2 is received if "pull my finger" becomes the joke of the night. A 3 is received if your wife kicks you out of bed and you're stuck on the couch wishing that you could sleep somewhere else, too.

Wait a minute. This is a myth? Why? This "myth" makes sense to me, although I haven't tested it. I think the idea would be that root vegetables need slower cooking so that the outside doesn't get mushy while the inside remains uncooked. Whereas with green vegetables you don't want to have them sitting in water (a solvent) where their green can leech out. You would want to cook them quickly. Along with this is the idea that you need to use salted water for green vegetables. I've tested this one and it indeed matters. Shocking the vegetables in an ice bath also does indeed help.

I have not found a mop yet that is good. The Swiffer is okay for what it is. But I want somethign that can scrub, not just dust. The classic mop is really the closest I've found, but I always end up scratching things with the metal hinge piece. Anyone try non stick aluminum foil, probably my most used such item besides ziplocs for storage? I like the smell of garlic on my hands. And, if you're ever in a mortal battle with vampires, you can claw their eyes out. I have for a long time been putting my onions in the refrigerator. When they're cold they don't emit the gases that cause you to tear up. I never have problems except with some particularly potent onions during certain times of the year. But it's rare. I heard you can also run them under cold water for a bit before slicing. I believe in addition to lemon juice you can use vinegar or acidulated water to rinse your hands free of chile oils. Water and soap do nothing. I'm too lazy to worry about it, but with how much I cook with chiles I often have Homer moments where I stick my finger in my eye and run screaming to the bathroom to flush it out only to do it again a couple minutes later. btw, scratching your nether region after cutting chiles can also impart a burning sensation since it's sensitive down there. So if that happens, and especially if you then have sex and your partner also feels a burning sensation, don't start stressing out about VD. Remember, it's just the chiles and enjoy the free tingles.

I was going to say the same thing. Plus, you don't have to clean out the grubs from the inside of the morels. Dried morels are ridiculously expensive, though. You can't call "chicken fried chicken" "fried chicken" though because that's something else. There are also chicken tenders. Chicken fried chicken is my wife's favorite thing in the world just about. I like a mix of corn meal, flour, and bread crumbs. I dredge in a seasoned flour first, then egg/milk, then the mixture of starches. I think it provides the most interesting texture. Regardless, though, always use bread crumbs. Much, much better. And pound out your chicken and steak with the pokey end of a tenderizer/mallet to about 1/4 inch thick or even thinner.

There seem to be a lot of common knowledge cooking techniques that I really question whether they work. I tried one recently. I roasted a chicken with an orange cut in quarters and stuffed inside the cavity of the bird. There was no flavor or aroma in the meat whatsoever that I could tell or my wife could tell, even on the pieces that were closest to the cavity. I'd really like to get a panel of experts together and roast two chickens one with and one without and put people's palates to the test in a blind experiement. Another myth that Cook's Illustrated has tested a couple times, I've tested myself, is whether real vanilla matters in baking. It doesn't. You're using such a small amount in most instances and diluting it, plus cooking it, that I doubt even the most seasoned taster can tell the difference. A common myth is the "searing in juices". I've seen several more scientific approaches to food that have tested this and shown that it doesn't do a darned thing. In fact, it may dry meat out more, but that that is often made up for by a nice tasty Maillard effect on the meat and a piece of meat left medium-rare. A related myth is that cooking faster or on higher heat will keep something juicier. The optimum temperature for juiciness. Any others you can think of, whether you know they're true or not? I'd like to test some of these some time.

It's the south: double the starches. Mashed potatoes and biscuits. Though it sounds like a simple dish, there really is a wide range on how it comes out. To me, it's 90% breading that matters. But you can have a really ripply, crispy, crunchy breading or a rather thin and light breading. I've seen some where they soak in buttermilk, dredge in flour, dredge in egg, then put it in the pan, too, so the outside isn't a starch. I've also had good CFS that had some of the toughest meat of all time. But the flavor and crust was sooo good. Jubilee in Ft Worth is what comes to mind.

It's cube steak or round steak pan or deep-fried much like fried chicken, thus the chicken-fried steak. Often served with cream gravy or other gravy. There's also chicken-fried chicken which is boneless chicken cooked in this manner. Essentially this is an almost universal dish with a breaded, pan-fried meat in many cuisines. Chicken-fried steak and chicken are the southern versions. Edit: Here's a good link: http://southernfood.about.com/library/weekly/aa980222.htm

Pan wrote: To me that was implicit in what I stated. I think it's a breakdown in the rule of law and the ability for self-determination. Strictly speaking it may not be a breakdown in the rule of law by itself, since the law could be established, public, known, and enforced fairly and judiciously, even if it's a law we disagree with. Busboy wrote: I don't know if disingenous was the right word. It has harsh connotations. Maybe you meant simplistic. I think the issues are two separate ones and that people too often focus on merely the wages and working conditions in relation to American/Western expections. It's ridiculous to expect or even desire some Malaysian factory worker to make $10/hour. Not only would no business ever want to open a factory there because there would be no comparative advantage given the infrastructure issues, the shipping issues, the productivity and education issues, etc, but it would cause crazy-ass inflation where farmers and other peasants would have even a tougher time buying goods, everyone would be rushing to the towns where the factories are competing for limited jobs. There'd be unrest and great dissatisfaction with alternative occupations, etc. These things need to be made in small steps and the market generally works that way, luckily. Companies go to these countries in order to save money, knowing that they can pay a lot less in wages, get decent enough productivity over time, while dealing with increased other costs that make them more profitable in the long run. Meanwhile, the country transforms its economy, people become more educated to compete for jobs where education matters, they get out of the rice patties, out of the weather, can afford clean drinking water, and put their kids through school. There are problems, too, such as pollution, urbanization, secularization, loss of communities. But I think overall if our goal is to have the world enjoy the same fruits that Americans enjoy, it's the process they must go through. Anyway.... Globalism and international corporations seem like a vehicle for this movement. Some people may be unhappy with that. My mom, a hardcore left-winger in the spirit of Nader, bless her heart, likes the idea of de-industrializing, she dreams of an idyllic time when everyone lived off the land, there was no pollution, no cars, no real urban centers. Of course, it didn't really exist, But beyond that, imagine if everyone today burned wood for heat. Can you imagine the pollution? How many trees would we have left? Of course, that wouldnt' be much of a worry because more than half of children would die in childbirth and people would only live to 40 anyway. Too often, I think, the anti-globalization forces and anti-corporate forces dream of this same thing for other countries ignoring the trouble they're in, thinking that us first-worlders could just give them sustenance and otherwise leave them alone. Sure corporations destroy a certain aesthetic. But they also bring a lot of possibility.

Thanks. I really want to explore Vietnamese food more, but never get that excited about trying many of the places because I have to be a special mood for pho. And that doesn't happen that often. I love soup, but I'm much more of a pureed, French-style cream soup person. Have you been to Pho Hung?

There are a million pho places in Portland -- possibly the only thing that pops up more than Thai food places, though their growth seems to be slowing. I'm interested in knowing the favorite Vietnamese haunts of any sort in Portland, but honestly, Pho isn't my thing. I like it okay, but I prefer claypot dishes, salads, and even non-soup noodle dishes. So where's the best places in Portland for this. Obviously, Pho Van in the Pearl emphasizes this and is very good, imo. I don't know about it's level of authenticity, but I know it's very good. Saucebox has some dishes on its pan-asian menu. But there must be some less trendy places out there. Willamette Week suggests My Canh and Than Thao, but I haven't been to either. Chowhounders often suggest Pho Oregon and Pho Hung, but I don't know whether either has anything much beyond pho. I went to Saigon Kitchen on Broadway which as a Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese menu. Frankly, it blows. One of the worst meals I've had out in a while. So, any suggestions? Any insight into Pho Hung and Pho Oregon's menus? My Canh, Than Thao?

Yeah, I thought the same thing. Proprietary? I mean, for anyone for whom it matters, it would not take long to find out such basic information. I'm not asking for the process they use to fuse the metals or shape the pan or whatever. Just thicknesses. Ridiculous. May just be someone lazy or it may be stupid corporate paranoia. I've worked for companies that were like this before.

I haven't read the whole thread yet (it took me long enough to read the original "lesson" -- felt like I was back in college; now I remember why I switched from Astrophysics to Economics and finally to Political Science: less science, less math, less spontaneous brain freeze). Anyway, a couple weeks ago I emailed both Calphalon and All-Clad asking about technical details on their pans. Neither provides much insight on their website that I can find. Here's the annoying resonse I received from All-Clad (still haven't gotten anything from Calphalon): One of the things I was interested in was the Emerilware. I always bypassed even looking at it because I figured it's overpriced due to paying for Emeril's endorsement. But I realized recently that it's much cheaper than the standard All-Clad lines, has a hunk of copper sandwiched on the bottom, and actually feels sturdy. The schooling on metals was great, but if we don't know how thick and what metals are actually used, then we're just stuck like we were before with trusting a cacophany of opinions on specific pans. Has anyone created a table/spreadsheet/database on the technical specs of pota and pan lines. I'd love just a table that shows 12" skillets in a variety of lines from a variety of manufacturers showing their technical specs. Now back to catching up on the thread...sorry for any duplication that may have occurred.

Here are the things I use every day: 12" skillet Chef's Knife (I prefer a 6" actually, though I have two 8" and a Santoku additionally) Cutting board And nearly as often: Saucier Sheet Pan Aluminum Foil Vegetable peeler Flexible Boning Knife Strainer Whisk Immersion Blender

The Oregonian is like what you imagine food writing to be in the '50s -- Betty Crocker meets Family Home Journal or something. Every few weeks I decide I'll check it out to see if there's anything interesting and I realize, nope, there wasn't. I haven't ever checked out the Mercury's food stuff. Didn't even know they had a section. I do think the WW can be inconsistent, but at least you can get to know a reviewer and they actually seem to try to learn something about the place they're reviewing first. On the other hand, I've read reviews from the Oregonian where I've questioned whether the writer ever actually ate there. They just looked at the menu and said it sounded good or something. I start looking for the advertising in the paper at that point. Have you checked out Portland Monthly or Portland Tribune. I haven't read much of the Tribune yet, but noticed that they were online. I got the Portland Monthly food edition and it was a mixed bag. Some things were ridiculous, like their pick for best Mexican Tienda in town. But there was some useful information as well and they seem to be trying. They are rather new, afterall. Unfortunately, Jim Dixon doesn't write near enough for WW and appears to be selling too much olive oil making him feel like he's unable to review these places we need him to, I think.